Tag: area command

Colorado: West Fork Complex

West Fork Fire, from Durango Air Tanker Base

(UPDATE at 9:10 a.m. MDT, June 30, 2013)

For the last several days the weather has been in favor of the firefighters. Saturday brought rain over most of the Complex, with accumulations of 0.02 to 0.20 inches, however in some areas it did not penetrate tree canopies in areas with heavy timber. Smoke prevented most aerial firefighting Saturday but helicopters and air tankers will be in the air Sunday if they are needed and weather permits. Thunderstorms are in the forecast for the next few days. Winds on Sunday will be out of the Northwest at 5-15 mph, with a 60% chance of rain actually hitting the ground.

The Incident Management Team reports the fire is two percent contained and the three fires in the complex have burned 95,775 acres: Windy Pass 1,415, Papoose 34,836, and West Fork 59,524 acres.

Resources on the fire include 8 Type 1 hand crews, 20 Type 2 hand crews, 109 engines, 5 dozers, and 11 water tenders, for a total of 1,502 personnel.

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(UPDATE at 9:20 a.m. MDT, June 28, 2013)

Map of West Fork Complex, 12:01 June 28, 2013 (click to enlarge)

Map of Papoose Fire — East side of Papoose Fire, looking NE, 12:01 June 28, 2013 (click to enlarge)

The Papoose Fire, pushed by 30 to 40 mph northwest winds out of a thunderstorm, ran for about four miles on the east side Thursday, southwest of Antelope Park. Adding approximately 6,000 acres, it became established in Trout Creek and threatened to spread up the east side of the drainage. The fire spread through beetle-killed Englemann Spruce spotting one mile to one and a half miles ahead, according to the Incident Management Team spokesperson, who reported that firefighters burned around some structures to remove the fuel before the fire hit those areas — here were no reports that any burned.

The West Fork Fire was much quieter than the Papoose Fire, but it was somewhat active near Elk Mountain and on the southeast side.

The incident Management Team reports the three fires in the Complex have burned a total of 90,056 acres.

The weather forecast for the Antelope Park area south of Creede calls for 78 degrees, relative humidity in the mid-20s, about a 30 percent chance of thunderstorms, and winds out of the southwest at 8 to 15 mph.

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(UPDATE at 10:50 a.m. MDT, June 27, 2013)

More information has become available about the West Fork Complex:

The Papoose Fire was active Wednesday night and moved into Crooked Creek and towards Rio Grande Dam. It moved past structures near Workman Creek along Highway 149 but there was no report of damage to structures. Firefighters worked through the night to reinforce firelines, protect structures, and conduct firing operations along Squaw Creek to remove fuels in front of the fire.

The West Fork Fire has been active on the northeast flank near Elk Mountain. Structure protection, including sprinklers, is in place along Highways 149 and 160.

Portable fire retardant plants have been set up near the Papoose Fire and on the east side of the West Fork Fire. These will be used for refilling buckets and tanks on helicopters. Dropping fire retardant will be more effective than using plain water.

Current acreage for the whole Complex: Total 83,004; Windy Pass 1,403; Papoose 26,483; West Fork 55,118.

Shortly after 9 a.m. today two military MAFFS C-130 air tankers were dispatched to the West Fork Fire from their base at Colorado Springs where another portable fire retardant base has been established.

The Incident Management Team is now putting various types of information in at least four different places: Google Drive (which I can’t get to work), Facebook, Photo Bucket, and Inciweb. Apparently this IMTeam has said goodbye to the concept of putting all information about a fire in one place, possibly due in part to the dysfunctional InciWeb.

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(UPDATE at 7:20 a.m. MDT, June 27, 2013)

Map of West Fork Complex at 11:21 p.m., June 26, 2013 — Map of heat detected by a satellite on the West Fork Complex at 11:21 p.m., June 26, 2013 (click to enlarge)

The satellite that passed over the West Fork Complex twice in the last 24 hours has not found as many heat sources as in previous days. But the instruments can only detect areas of heat that are at least 30 meters by 30 meters.

Dozers have finished constructing a fireline between the fire and the town of South Fork and fire crews are continuing to work around the structures on Highway 149. Not much other new information is available, other than the Incident Management Team reported that they held some internal meetings and briefings. The fire’s InciWeb page has not been updated since Wednesday morning.

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(UPDATE at 10:40 p.m. MDT, June 25, 2013)

The West Fork Fire has been burning for 20 days, and on day 20 a usable map of the fire was posted on InciWeb by an Incident Management Team running the fire. And instead of placing photos of the fire on InciWeb, they are putting them on something called “Photo Bucket” under West Fork Complex, according to a message sent out by the team. In addition the IMTeam is posting some information on Facebook, “dedicated to thank yous to the firefighters working on the fire line” according to a Tweet the Information Officer published. Of course, InciWeb is virtually unusable, so they can hardly be blamed for partially abandoning it and only updating InciWeb rarely. Apparently this IMTeam has said goodbye to the concept of putting all information about a fire in one place.

As the weather moderates, the IMTeam expects the fire to become more fuel (or vegetation)-driven, rather than wind-driven as has been for the last one to two weeks. On Tuesday an increase in humidity caused the fire to spread more slowly and allowed firefighters to make more progress than they have been used to, especially on the west side.

The Papoose Fire still remains south of highway 149 and Creede has not been evacuated, in spite of reports to the contrary. One of the DC-10 air tankers dropped retardant on the west side of the fire today, at a rate of 11,600 gallons per sortie.

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(UPDATE at 8:25 a.m. MDT, June 25 2013)

Map of West Fork, Windy Pass, and Papoose Fires, 10 p.m. MDT, June 24, 2013 (click to enlarge)

There was not much change in the perimeters of the Papoose, West Fork, and Windy Gap fires over the last 24 hours. Each of them grew a bit, but there was no major change in acreage. The West Fork Fire is still about four miles from the intersection of Highways 160 and 149.

The Incident Management Team this morning said: “Current acreage per infrared flight last night: West Fork 54,222; Papoose 23,605; Windy Pass 1,355 TOTAL for complex, 79,182”
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12 Questions for Tom Harbour

Today we have the 12th article of our series in which we ask current and retired leaders in the wildland fire service to answer 12 questions.

We appreciate everyone who is cooperating with this project. Some of their responses may add to the knowledge base of our new firefighters coming up through the ranks. If you would like to nominate someone who would be a good candidate for these questions, drop us a line through our Contact Us page. And their contact information would be appreciated.

Below we hear from Tom Harbour, the U.S. Forest Service National Director of Fire and Aviation Management. After beginning as as GS-2 firefighter, Mr. Harbour worked his way up to District Ranger, Forest Fire Management Officer on the Angeles National Forest, Deputy Regional Fire Director in the Northern Rockies, Regional Fire Director in the Intermountain Region, and National Fire and Aviation Management Deputy Director before assuming his current position. He has been qualified as a Type 1 Prescribed Fire Burn Boss, Type 1 Incident Commander, and Area Commander.

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What is one piece of advice you would give to someone before their first assignment as an Incident Commander?
You are a leader and a servant. You are accountable and responsible. Remember what you have been taught and learned. Think, and by the way, don’t expect to get much rest.

If someone is planning a prescribed fire, what is one thing that you hope they will pay particular attention to?
People – the folks executing the fire and the folks who live near the fire.

One of the more common errors in judgment you have seen on fires?
Not engaging the brain prior to action.

One thing that you know now that you wish you had known early in your career?
Some of the folks higher in the food chain were actually concerned for me.

The stupidest mistake you have seen on a fire?
Igniting a prescribed fire when the test fire results indicated we were going to have trouble.

Your most memorable fire?
Mortar Creek (1979, Challis National Forest in Idaho), because I got over the fire when it had just escaped the campfire ring. In 1979, Mortar Creek was a giant we hadn’t seen in the area for decades. The Ship Island Fire happened that same day, I was working the Mortar Creek fire when I heard the radio traffic. I then spent most of the rest of the summer on the Mortar Creek fire.

The funniest thing you have seen on a fire?
A group of folks gathered around Bill Paddock listening to him tell stories about his earlier time in the USFS.

The first very large fire you were on?
A couple of days after I was hired in 1970, I headed with a hand crew to a fire in the Toulumne River Canyon. I cannot remember the name of the fire, but I remember the experience — I was hooked on a career.

Your favorite book about fire or firefighting?
Blink by Malcom Gladwell helps us understand about how we think under pressure.

The first job you had within the fire service?
GS-2 “shovel operator”

What gadgets, electronic or otherwise, can’t you live without?
Hate to say it, but the constant buzz on my belt is an indication the Blackberry is seeking attention.

12 questions area command Tom Harbour

12 Questions for Edy Rhodes

Today we have the ninth article of our series in which we ask current and retired leaders in the wildland fire service to answer 12 questions.

Below we hear from Edy Rhodes, a former Area Commander. She worked for the U. S. Forest Service for 25 years before transferring to the National Park Service, retiring as their Division Chief of Fire, Aviation and Structural Fire.

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When you think of an excellent leader in the fire service, who comes to mind first?
Too many to mention, but here are a few:

Steve Pedigo, Dick Cox, Rex Mann, and Bobby Kitchens who promoted incident management teams in the South resulting in involvement in the national Type 1 rotation.
Rick Gale and Mike Edrington, in their roles Fire Directors, as Area Commanders and as leaders of the 520/620 Steering Committee and cadre. They mentored countless individuals in their careers over the years.
Also, the Forestry Technicians who taught me the basics and kept me safe while giving me room to make mistakes during my early career years. Junior Gay, Daniel Boone NF and Bruce Harvey, NF’s in FL, come to mind!

What is one piece of advice you would give to someone before their first assignment as an Incident Commander?
In general, “Before you get on the horse, be ready to ride!” Specific to large incident management, provide strategic leadership and all it entails from being proactive, confident, decisive and a good communicator with your team and all stakeholders involved.

Edy Rhodes

If someone is planning a prescribed fire, what is one thing that you hope they will pay particular attention to?
An approved plan, appropriate weather conditions, adequate resources, and good communication by all.

One of the more common errors in judgment you have seen on fires?
Assuming that everyone is on the same page; Failing to “connect the dots” and “close the loop” with those that need critical information that may affect them.

One thing that you know now that you wish you had known early in your career?
What a rewarding career that fire management would be! The opportunities to travel, see remarkable places, and work with extraordinary people has enriched my life tremendously.

The stupidest mistake you have seen on a fire?
It was on a RX burn, when the fire jumped the line on our section, setting off a huge, grassy field next to the municipal sewage treatment plant, which was adjacent to the regional airport. Thank goodness, we were able to get the treatment plant personnel to turn on the effluent sprinklers, which extinguished the fire, before the smoke completely shut down airport operations. We got a lot of phone calls on that one!

Your most memorable fire?
The Yellowstone Fires of 1988.

The funniest thing you have seen on a fire?
A couple of mules got loose from their pack string and went bucking down the mountain scattering their load everywhere!

The first very large fire you were on?
The Hog Fire, Klamath NF, 1977.

Your favorite book about fire or firefighting?
Young Men and Fire

The first job you had within the fire service?
Forester Trainee and firefighter on a local crew on the Daniel Boone National Forest, KY.

What gadgets, electronic or otherwise, can’t you live without?
Laptop, iPhone and iPad. Love my Google maps!

12 questions area command Edy Rhodes Rick Gale

12 Questions for Jim Stumpf

Today we have the eighth article of our series in which we ask current and retired leaders in the wildland fire service to answer 12 questions.

We appreciate everyone who is cooperating with this project. Some of their responses may add to the knowledge base of our new firefighters coming up through the ranks. If you have a suggestion of someone who would be a good candidate for these questions, drop us a line through our Contact Us page. And their contact information would be appreciated.

Below we hear from Jim Stumpf. In 1975 Jim was a Type 1 Incident Commander on the Pacoima fire on the Angeles National Forest, the first fire that was run under the Firescope system, which evolved into the Incident Command System. Later he was an Area Commander. When he retired from the federal government he was with the Bureau of Land Management’s National Fire Program and Budget Office.

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When you think of an excellent leader in the fire service, who comes to mind first?

Dick Montague provided guidance when I worked for him on the Angeles National Forest and with his support and direction he was one of the first to lead the way for the development of Firescope (Incident Command System).
Dick Millar- Provided Regional and National leadership, support and encouragement to many upcoming fire personnel (including myself).

What is one piece of advice you would give to someone before their first assignment as an Incident Commander?
Know your job and allow your staff to do their jobs. Insist on accountability from your staffs.

If someone is planning a prescribed fire, what is one thing that you hope they will pay particular attention to?
The written prescription and the guidance in that prescription.

One of the more common errors in judgment you have seen on fires?
Ignoring the obvious in the basics.

One thing that you know now that you wish you had known early in your career?
How rewarding the job could be.

The stupidest mistake you have seen on a fire?
Backfiring the wrong side of the line.

Your most memorable fire?
Every one of them.

The funniest thing you have seen on a fire?
Snow

The first very large fire you were on?
Think it was the Monkey Fire on the San Bernardino NF.

Your favorite book about fire or firefighting?
Young Men and Fire

The first job you had within the fire service?
Firefighter on the Del Rosa Hot Shots.

What gadgets, electronic or otherwise, can’t you live without?
Lap top and cork screw.

12 questions area command

12 Questions for Mike Edrington

Today we have the sixth article of our series in which we ask current and retired leaders in the wildland fire service to answer 12 questions.

We appreciate everyone who is cooperating with this project. Some of their responses may add to the knowledge base of our new firefighters coming up through the ranks.

Below we hear from Mike Edrington, who retired from the U. S. Forest Service as an Area Commander, with his last position being the Regional Fire and Aviation Director for the combined Pacific Northwest Regional and State offices of the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service. Presently he is an associate with OQA, Inc. (an emergency services consulting corporation) and is an Assistant Area Commander on Area Command Team 3.

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When you think of an excellent leader in the fire service, who comes to mind first?
Rick Gale, NPS (retired)

What is one piece of advice you would give to someone before their first assignment as an Incident Commander?
Allow your Command and General Staff to fulfill their roles and responsibilities and spend your time and energy concentrating on the responsibilities of the IC!!!!

If someone is planning a prescribed fire, what is one thing that you hope they will pay particular attention to?
“one of the things” Make sure that all cooperating agencies and other land owners adjacent to your project understand and support the objectives of the project and are part of the contingency planning.

One of the more common errors in judgment you have seen on fires?
Assuming that all communications in operations flow from the OSC to the DIVS to the STL/TFL to the single resource leader without loss of information.

One thing that you know now that you wish you had known early in your career?
One does not need to know everything about a position to be successful (delegation and trusting the knowledge of those working for you).

The stupidest mistake you have seen on a fire?
Burning out in heavy oak brush on the wrong side of the line for ¼ mile.

Your most memorable fire?
The Bitterroot fires of 2000

The funniest thing you have seen on a fire?
Hundreds of yards of copy paper and forms and records and tents floating above the ICP and base after a small “tornado” went through camp. (had to be there)

The first very large fire you were on?
Laramie Peak Fire, 1964, Medicine Bow NF

Your favorite book about fire or firefighting?
The Big Burn

The first job you had within the fire service?
Seasonal crew member, Medicine Bow National Forest, 1964

What gadgets, electronic or otherwise, can’t you live without?
Smart phone and lap top.

12 questions area command

Idaho’s three megafires

There are currently three uncontained wildfires that are larger than 100,000 acres. For purposes of this discussion, we will call 100,000 the minimum size for a megafire.

All three of these fires are in Idaho, and two are on the Salmon-Challis National Forest. Those two are the Mustang Complex and the Halstead Fire and are under the direction of Jim Loach’s Area Command Team. The third fire is the Trinity Ridge Fire on the Boise National Forest.

map of Mustang, Halstead, Trinity fires — Map showing the location of the Halstead, Mustang, and Trinity fires, September 5, 2012. (click to enlarge)

Here are some stats we compiled from InciWeb and the National Situation Report about these three megafires:

The cost to date for these three fires totals over $73,000,000. They are tieing up 2,653 firefighting personnel. We don’t know what the weather and fuel conditions were when the fires were first reported, or what the commitment was to an aggressive initial attack strategy. Maybe there was no chance in hell of catching them early. But if initial attack had been successful on these three fires, over $71,000,000 could have been saved and 2,653 firefighting personnel could be doing something else. In some cases a significant investment in initial attack resources, both ground and air, can save large sums of taxpayer dollars later.

It is not likely that any of these fires are going to be contained or controlled anytime soon. Now that we are into the month of September, I imagine the Incident Management Teams are looking carefully at the fire and weather history of the area, hoping to have a weather related fire season ending event in the near future.

Predicted containment dates on large fires, especially megafires, are frequently picked out of the air (or some other more intimate location) and are relatively meaningless if they are farther out than a few days. In this case, the predicted containment dates for the three fires range from September 30 to October 16. In case you’re wondering which year, they all selected 2012. Whew!

The IMTeam on the Mustang Complex dashed hopes for a quick containment with this statement on their InciWeb page:

Containment [of 16%] will not change in the near term future due to current point protection strategies.

Abandoning containment for point protection may or may not be temporary, and is usually due to extreme weather and/or fire behavior, extreme topography, a shortage of firefighting resources, management direction to be less aggressive in suppressing the spread of the fire, or a combination of some of these.

area command Halstead Fire Idaho Mustang Fire Trinity Fire

Area Command Team activated for Colorado fires

An Area Command Team (ACTeam) has been activated to assist in managing the wildfires in Colorado and the Rocky Mountain Geographic Area. There are three ACTeams in the nation, and this one, Team 2, is headed by Bob Anderson, the “Area Commander”. For this assignment they are designated “Front Range Area Command”.

These teams are not used very often, typically one to three times a year, and this is the first time one has been used in 2012.

An ACTeam does not directly manage fires or other types of incidents, but they supervise IMTeams assigned to individual fires, or they can oversee the management of a very large incident that has multiple IMTeams engaged.The ACTeam works for the Agency Administrator where the incident is occurring. They will receive a written delegation of authority and will in turn issue one to each IMTeam they supervise.

The primary functions of an ACTeam include:

Reduction of the workload for the agency administrator on whose jurisdiction the incident occurs. This can be especially helpful if one agency has multiple large incidents.
Coordination and priority-setting of limited resources among incidents, including the the demobilization, reassignment, or sharing of resources between incidents.

These teams are much smaller than a Type 1 or Type 2 IMTeam and usually consist of 7 people when first assigned, but can grow to around 15.

area command Colorado

New model for Incident Management Teams

Big Elk Fire, Wyoming, July, 2009 — Big Elk Fire, Wyoming, July, 1999. Photo: Bill Gabbert

The National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) has released a new organizational model for Incident Management Teams (IMT), titled Evolving Incident Management: A Recommendation for the Future.

(Apparently they decided not to make a recommendation for the past.)

In light of smaller federal work forces, more state and local IMTs, and longer fire seasons, the NWCG recognized that the current workforce management and succession planning for wildfire response is not sustainable. The new plan, which refers to a “decrease in Federal capacity”, admits that one of the primary purposes of the new model is to help find a solution to the difficulty in filling positions on IMTs, in part due to the smaller work forces. This, in spite of the fact that the U.S. Forest Service routinely assures congressional panels and the public that the federal government has plenty of wildland fire suppression capability and the budgets proposed by the Administration for the land management agencies are sufficient for protecting the public lands.

Some of the recommended changes are very significant, such as combining the Type 1 and Type 2 IMTs into just one type of team, and reducing the total number of federally sponsored teams from 55 to 40.

The entire 51-page document can be found HERE. Below, in the bullets, are some of the highlights of the new system:

Number of Teams. The target number of federally sponsored IMTs is 40.
Typing of Teams. Merge all federally sponsored type 1 and type 2 teams into one type of IMT.
NIMO teams.There [would continue to] be four National Incident Management Organization (NIMO) teams supervised and managed by the USDA Forest Service.
Incident Complexity and Scalability. There are three response levels: Initial attack (type 4 and 5 incidents), extended attack (type 3 incidents managed by type 3 IMTs) and complex incidents managed by IMTs.
State teams. IMTs sponsored by states would provide surge capacity at elevated geographic area and national preparedness levels under the recommended model.
Team Management and Dispatching. Geographic area coordination centers would manage IMT rotations for their geographic area until the national preparedness level reaches 3. At preparedness level 3 and above the National Interagency Coordination Center coordinates the IMT rotation in consultation with the geographic area coordination centers.
Team Funding. Each IMT would receive an established amount of support funding provided by the agencies in their home geographic area. Teams are provided with administrative staff support to support ICs with management of their team rosters and other logistical needs.
Team Size and Configuration. IMTs are composed of 27 members and 14 trainees in the recommended organizational model. The IMTs are available in short team and long team configurations.
Area Command. Short-term recommendations (2012–2015) include (1) maintaining four area command teams, and (2) formalizing the current management of the four area command teams as a pool of interchangeable personnel sufficient to staff four teams. Long-term recommendations (2016 and beyond) include transitioning area command teams to strategic management teams. This would more accurately reflect the changing demands for an oversight group to provide strategic planning, risk management, command, control, coordination, information management, and preparedness support. This transition would also be the source for innovative processes, procedures, and technology to support incident objectives.
Performance and Accountability. All agency administrators in units with wildland fire programs would have a performance standard or element for fire management. Expectations for each agency’s level of participation should be developed based on their percent of wildland fire workload.
Incentives. Incentives for participation should be a part of the implementation plan for the recommended organizational model. Disincentives should be identified and reduced or eliminated.
Workforce Development. Develop a robust and coordinated succession planning system linking workforce development to staffing of IMTs.

The NWCG expects to implement the new model over the next five to ten years.

Several interesting facts showed up in the document, such as on page 22:

Although the number of IMTs has remained relatively stable since 2004, the composition of teams has changed. The Federal workforce has shrunk, especially in some parts of the country. For example, the USDA Forest Service workforce in Oregon and Washington has gone from 7,893 employees in 1990 to 3,630 employees in 2010. IMT make-up has shifted from Federal militia to a higher percentage of state, local government, and retired Federal (second career and AD) participation.

And these three charts:
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area command Evolving Incident Management Incident Management Team NWCG

Map and update of Las Conchas fire, June 29, 2011

Update: a new article about the Las Conchas fire was written on June 30, 2011.

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Update at 7:36 p.m. MT, June 29, 2011:

Below, is a a new map showing heat detected by satellites at 2:50 p.m. MT, June 29, 2011. This map zooms in on the north side of the fire near the city of Los Alamos, an area that showed some growth on Wednesday, either from a burning out operation by firefighters or natural movement of the fire, or both.

Las Conchas fire map 1450 6-29-2011 — Click to enlarge. Las Conchas fire map showing heat detected by satellites at 2:50 p.m. MT, 6-29-2011. The red areas were actively burning at that time, while the yellow was within the last 12 hours, and the black was within the last 24 hours. MODIS

The incident management team today finally posted two maps of the fire on their InciWeb site:

Current as of 10:30 p.m. June 27, 2011
Created 3:31 p.m. June 28, 2011

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Update at 3:10 p.m. MT, June 29, 2011:

(more maps and information are below)
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area command Las Conchas Fire

Las Conchas fire threatens Los Alamos

Wildfire Today posted more information about the Las Conchas fire on June 29.

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Update at 9:10 p.m. MT, June 28, 2011:

This new map of the Las Conchas fire includes satellite data collected at 3:50 p.m. MT on Tuesday. The recorded heat showed comparatively little growth, with some additional acres on the northeast corner and also some on the southwest side.

As expected, the weather on Tuesday was less extreme than on Sunday and Monday, with afternoon winds recorded at the Tower weather station (east of the fire) southwest at 8-18 mph, with gusts at 19-34. The relative humidity bottomed out at 8% with a cloud cover shading the fire for much of the afternoon.

The forecast for Wednesday at Los Alamos is for a high temperature of 87, RH of 14%, and southwest winds increasing throughout the day, from 8-12 mph in the morning to 22 mph by 6 p.m. — suitable weather for significant fire spread, but not as extreme as on Sunday and Monday.

Las Conchas fire map 1550 6-28-2011 — Click to enlarge. Las Conchas fire map showing heat detected by satellites at 3:50 p.m. MT, 6-28-2011. The red areas were actively burning at that time, while the yellow was within the last 12 hours, and the black was within the last 24 hours. MODIS

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Update at 12:25 p.m. MT, June 28:

At a news conference that started at 12:10 p.m. today, Doug Tucker, the Chief of the Los Alamos Fire Department, said two incident management teams either are or will be managing the fire, and that an Area Command Team has been ordered which will coordinate resources, establish priorities, and supervise the IMTeams. (Note: this was confirmed by New Mexico Fire Information.) The Chief said the fire started near a power line, but the cause and origin are still under investigation.

Tucker said that since the Cerro Grande of 2000, a great deal of vegetation management has been conducted in Los Alamos to make the structures and facilities more fire resistant than 10 years ago when over 280 homes were destroyed or damaged and 40 Los Alamos National Laboratory structures burned. The Chief said the city is now qualified as a “Firewise Community”, which is a remarkable change from 10 years earlier when the structures were extremely vulnerable to wildfire.

Tucker said the numerous barrels of stored radioactive waste at the Laboratory are surrounded by bare mineral soil or asphalt and there little chance that the fire could impinge on the barrels. The operations manager of the Lab said that if a wildfire does approach the radioactive materials they have equipment on site that will cover it with foam, further protecting it from fire.

A live camera is available at Pajarito Mountain ski area.

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Update at 10:18 a.m. MT, June 28, 2011:

New Mexico Fire Information has posted more information about the Las Conchas fire near Los Alamos. The size is now 60,740 acres, according to data from an infrared mapping flight at 11:13 p.m. June 27. They have a map of the fire, but the resolution is too poor to determine who produced it.

InciWeb has very outdated information that is at least 24 hours old, far too old for a 60,740-acre fire that is causing evacuations. And they have no downloadable maps or Google Earth fire perimeters posted. Hopefully the incident management team will get organized and provide better information than the Wallow fire teams did during their first week in Arizona.

The Southwest Coordination Center has posted information about the impacts of the smoke from the Las Conchas and Pacheco fires.

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Updated at 9:05 a.m. MT, June 28, 2011

Smoke from Las Conchas fire 6-27-2011. Credit: Los Alamos National Laboratory

The Las Conchas fire, pushed by strong winds, burned closer to the city of Los Alamos and the Los Alamos National Laboratory on Monday and Monday night. The fire crossed Highway 4 and continued for almost 5 miles north of the highway on the west side of the city of Los Alamos. It crossed to the west side of the East Fork of the Jemez River.
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area command Las Conchas Fire